Definition of Sexual Objectification

For some philosophers the material progress of humanity has been accompanied by a profound change in the mentality of men. One of the consequences is the objectification of man. Instead of think in people with names and surnames, in human beings who feel and suffer, there is a risk of conceiving man as something abstract, as if it were a thing.

In other words, reification consists of transforming a subject into an object. For Marxist thinkers, the capitalism he is the cause of the reification processes of human beings.

The idea of ​​reification is applicable to different contexts, such as work, human relationships, communication or sexuality.

In the realm of sexuality

The human body, especially the female body, is valued by some people with distorted mental schemes. In the advertising, in fashion and in the media in general, it has been tax an unreal aesthetic and sexual model. The perfect woman must have specific measures, otherwise she is far from the sexual canon.

The perfect measurements are not available to the vast majority. The objectification of sexuality becomes a kind of cultural fetishism.

On the other hand, the female body is treated as if it were a commodity. If it meets certain requirements, it is an attractive product and otherwise it is a product with little market value. This type of criteria can generate frustration and pain in those women who do not feel good about their physical appearance.

Those who have studied the phenomenon of gender violence they consider that there is a direct relationship between female objectification and the violent attitudes of some men.

The movement feminist is radically opposed to the deformation of the image of women. For this reason, a change of focus in the media is called for. For this to be possible, it is necessary to value the woman for her ability and not for her body.

In the sphere of advertising and pornography

To sell cars, beers or any other type of product, it is very common to incorporate a feminine image with a strong sexual charge. With this type of message, the woman is used as an object that serves to make a commercial product more attractive.

In the world of pornography there are thousands of options to feed sexual fantasies. Quite often a degrading image is projected onto women. They appear subdued, humiliated, and violent and obscene language is used in sexual relationships. It could be argued that this type of pornography is incompatible with the I respect towards the feminine condition.

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